Tag Archives: Calgary
My Annual ALS Post
I have a type of motor neuron disease, similar to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, which most people call ALS or Lou Gehrig’s Disease because that’s easier to say. Every year I do a post about the disease in order to thank, … Continue reading
Posted in Apitherapy, Culture, or lack thereof, Friends, Outreach
Tagged ALS, bee stings, Betty's Run, Calgary, Pure Sweet Honey Farm
2 Comments
Package Hive Update
Three weeks ago, we installed two packages in our backyard. We started with mostly new equipment, though we had six drawn, white-comb, deep frames for the bees to nest in right away. I considered using 100% foundation and letting the … Continue reading
First day with the bees
On Friday evening, just after the sun had set, we installed two packages of bees. Earlier in the day, we arranged six drawn-out deep brood frames (purchased from Scandia Honey, a very reputable bee farm in our area), two new … Continue reading
Posted in Beekeeping, Commercial Beekeeping
Tagged beginning beekeeping, Calgary, packages, pollen, urban beekeeping
7 Comments
Welcoming some new friends
The bees arrived. It was getting late. I was getting anxious. But just after the sun settled for the night, my friend Mark arrived with our two packages. He brought us 13,637 worker bees and two queens. We counted them. … Continue reading
Posted in Beekeeping, Tools and Gadgets
Tagged Calgary, hive equipment, package bees, urban beekeeping
12 Comments
The Perfect Place for Bees
An easy way to intimidate a new beekeeper is to read the list of requirements for a perfect apiary. Here’s my list. It’s not comprehensive. But even as a starter, it’s menacing: Your bees should be: In partial shade: avoid … Continue reading
The Fragile Earth Egg
I try to stay on topic. This is a bee blog. But it’s hard to think about bees when our weather is so crummy. It has been extremely cold! Winter is officially over, but only on the calendar. A few … Continue reading
Posted in Culture, or lack thereof, Humour, Strange, Odd Stuff
Tagged Alberta, Calgary, Easter, winter
14 Comments
Causes of Winter Losses
Spring teased us today. It looked good for a few minutes. The sun was shining and we could imagine that someday it could be Cancun-warm here. But we will get another layer of snow tonight here in western Canada. Nevertheless, … Continue reading
My Failure as a Beekeeper: Part VI
My anno horribilis apis had one more final insult to bestow upon my ever-shrinking self-esteem. Our little hive was attacked by robber bees. Once again, it was a scene entirely reminiscent of Tolstoy’s dying Moscow: There is no longer the … Continue reading
My Failure as a Beekeeper: Part V
When a colony has lost its queen and not replaced her, the hive is almost certain to die a slow and sorrowful death. The great plans we had for this small nuc – a source of a pound or two … Continue reading
My Failure as a Beekeeper: Part IV
This is the fourth piece in my six-part description of my colossal failure as a beekeeper this summer. If you’ve been following this little series, you saw how I acquired a little queenless nuc, transported it to my home, and … Continue reading
Posted in Beekeeping
Tagged Alberta, Calgary, family, nuc, queenless hives, Queens, Tolstoy, weak hives
14 Comments
Bad Beekeeping Blog 